I can’t live in harmony with criminals – Martin Amidu

Special Prosecutor nominee Martin Amidu has said he abhors criminals and traitors.

“I can’t live in harmony with criminals and traitors”, Mr Amidu told Parliament’s Appointments Committee on Tuesday, 13 February during his vetting, adding that: “Decent people, I will live with them but criminals, I can’t”.

Meanwhile, Mr Amidu has said Ghana is not a cow to be milked, and, so, will do everything possible, if approved by parliament, to block all leakages and fight against graft.

Mr Amidu told the committee that he was the best man for the job, since he has been a very meticulous man throughout his public office life “and that is why if you want anybody who will be meticulous in investigating and prosecuting, the president has made the best choice for you.”

He, thus, told the committee that “if you want anybody who will look the other way, just disapprove me”.

According to Mr Amidu, he was “so meticulous” that unless a “contract was in the national interest, I rejected it”.

Mr Amidu, at his vetting, also warned that he will catch the thieves who are plundering Ghana’s resources if he is approved by parliament.

“We have to set up strong institutions if we are to succeed,” warning: “If we don’t set up strong institutions, we are going to replicate the office of the special prosecutor as we did with other institutions, [and] we will have a problem.”

In his view, “The way forward I see is that the [Office of Special Prosecutor] Act, permits us to set up departments that will help us to do our work”.

“When I’m appointed and my deputy is appointed and the board is appointed and we have the complement of staff, I will lead them to explore ways of catching the thief, so that if my employees are taking bribe, I’ll have a way of knowing that they are.

“I mean there are various ways of intelligence and security to do this. The FBI and other bodies have done it, we will do it, so, it’s not going to be a situation in which you’ll think that working in my office is just a holiday, no, no.

“We shall make sure that we get into it, we’ll haul you there because Caesar’s wife must be above suspicion, and, I, when you approve of me, must be the first one above suspicion, I’ve demonstrated it before in positions I’ve held and I’m going to make sure that I myself am above suspicion”, Mr Amidu said.